The Batman began trending a bit on social media this morning as new images from the film have been released that give us a new look of Robert Pattinson suited up as Batman and a side of Paul Dano's The Riddler that is drawing comparisons to a notorious serial killer.
The images are thought to be from a leaked tie-in calendar for the film and they show Pattinson looking pretty solid as the title character but much of the online attention is being shifted to Paul Dano's Riddler. Fans were quick to point out that they believe the character's costume design was inspired by the infamous Zodiac Killer, a still-unidentified serial killer who wrecked all kinds of havoc in northern California in the 1960s and '70s. You can check out a Twitter post that features the character in three images with the bottom right being the most recent leak:
Now let's look at a side-by-side image of the leaked Riddler photo and a famous illustration of the Zodiac Killer that was described by victim Cecelia Shepard before she succumbed to her wounds after being stabbed at Lake Berryessa. The images are eerily similar but it's only speculation at this point if this was the true inspiration for the look:
The 2022 calendar for The Batman was shared online by Robert Pattinson Photos and the back of the calendar shows two shots of The Riddler while the bulk of the calendar is graphic art images of our titular hero. You can check out images of the front and back of the calendar below!
The Batman stars Pattinson as the Caped Crusader and he's joined by a cast that includes Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jeffrey Wright. Matt Reeves is at the helm of the project which is being described as a noir-driven story that will begin with a tortured Bruce Wayne around two years into his crime-fighting career as Batman.
The latest take on Batman was originally set for release on June 25, 2021, before it was pushed back to October 1, 2021, after its first delay in shooting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Warner Bros. pushed Dune from December of last year to October 1, 2021, it became clear that the studio wouldn't have two of their major releases competing with each other and The Batman was soon moved again to its current release date of March 4, 2022.
What Are YOUR thoughts on the new images from The Batman?